Corn-cutter.



F. FOURNIER.

0mm cums,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 0 1913- 1,13,8 56. Patented May 18, 1915.

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I I0 |v l O o we-OHIO A3 5 p 22 xi} 0 r K x Q /a' a /2 0 i I l J I l Win/5885s.- INVENTOR J4 of Fwd/7% f0 61/77/6'? ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHoT0-LITHo.. WASHINGmN. D u.

F. FOURNIER.

CORN CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10. 1913.

1, 1 39,856 Patented May 18, 1915.

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I J01 I 0 O 4 3 v O 00 I WITNESSES: INVENTOR JQ of W fira/M Fbarn/ ev' I I r r ATTORIVE THE NORIRIS PETERS no nu ""HQ. WASHINGTON, D. I

FRANK FQURNIER, 0F PUYALLUIB, WASHINGTON.

CORN-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

7 Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed September 10, 1913. Serial No. 789,208

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK .FOURNIER, citizen of the United States, residing at Puyallup, in thecounty of Pierce and State of l Vashin'gton, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Corn-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cutting machinery for corn cutters, cane cutters, and the like, and its object is to provide a rotary cutter that may besubstituted for a reciprocating sickle in machines that are adapted for cutting vegetation having a thick heavy stalk. I attain this object by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which V Figure 1, is a plan view'of portions of a structure embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section on line at, w, of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of portions of a structure embodying a modified form of my invention.

In harvesting cane, corn and like vegetation it is found difficult to cut the stalks of the plant with an ordinary reciprocating sickle of a machine, especially where such stalks are of unusually large diameter, and to overcome this difficulty I have provided a rotary cutter, that is formed to have teeth like the teeth of a circular saw, which cutter may be disposed to rotate between guides or deflectors which engage with stalks of the plant to be cut as the machine travels through the field.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 5 is a circular cutter provided with teeth like a saw which is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings on the base-frame 6 of an ordinary corn binder or on any like machine that is adapted to cut vegetation having large stalks, such cutter 5 being disposed so that in its revolutions it may intersect the space between the guides of said binder, within which space the stalks of vegetation are gathered to be cut by the cutter 5 as the binder is drawn through the field. The said cutter 5 is mounted securely on a vertical shaft 7 as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, which shaft 7 has its lower end journaled in a bearing 8 that is secured to the frame 6 and its upper end is provided with a bevel gearwheel 9 that is adapted to engage with a similar bevel gearwheel 10 that is secured on the end of a horizontal shaft 11 upon the other end of which is mounted another bevel gearwheel 12 which bevel gearwheel 12 is adapted to engage with and bedriven by a bevel gearwheel 13 which is secured upon the end of a driving shaft 14: which is suitably journaled in bearings associated with the frame 6 and which is connected by suitable mechanical means with the driving mechanism, not shown, which driving mechanism may be any of the common well known forms used in like machines. A plate15 is secured to the frame 6 by bolts 16 anddisposed between the cutter 5 and the gear '9 to provide a bearing for the shaft 7, said plate 15 being soformecl that it shall also provide a bearing 17 for the shaft 11, as shown in Fig. 1', and more clearly illustrated plate 18, provided with a channel 19 in its inner edge within which channel 19 the periphery of the cutter 5 is adapted to rotate,

is secured to the frame 6 opposite the plate 15 and a bracket 20, adapted to provide suitable bearings 21 and 22 for the shaft 11, is secured to the frame 6 adjacent to the bevel gears vl2 and 13. A cover 23 may be pivotally secured to the plate 15 and normally in Fig. 2. A

adapted to cover the bevel gears 9 and 10 to prevent dirt, sand, vegetation and the like, from being drawn into said gear, and a similar cover, not shown, may be provided for the gears 12 and 13 if desired.

The operation of my cutter may be described as follows: The machine may be moved forward along the row of corn or other vegetation that is to be cut, the driving mechanism communicating rotary motion to the shaft 14, which rotary motion is transmitted, through the bevel gears 12 and 13, the shaft 11 and bevel gears 9 and 10, to the cutter 5 to rotate said cutter 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The forwardly projecting members 24, 2 1 of the frame 6 serve to guide the stalks of the vegetation that is to be cut as the machine is moved forward, said vegetation being engaged and severed by the rapidly revolving cutter. The vegetation then passes backwardly to other parts of the machine where it may be bound or otherwlse su1tably disposed of in a manner well known. 1

In Fig. 3 wherein I have illustrated a modified form of my invention 25 is a rotary cutter similar to the cutter 5 which is mounted to rotate in a frame 26, similar to the frame 6.- The frame 26-carries a drivf ing shaft'28 which may be actuated by any well known form of driving mechanism, not

' shown,

and which is provided with a belt pulley 29 on its forward end, said belt pulley 29 being connected by a belt 30 with another belt pulley 31 provided on the top end of a shaft 82 on which the rotary cutter is mounted thus providing simple and eflicient means for driving the rotary cutter 25. "My form of cutter is especially advantageous in cutting corn or sugar cane which has stalks so large that it is extremely diflicultto cut themwith an ordinary reciproeating sickle. Obviously otherforms of driving mechanism than the ones herein illustratedand described may be used and a tion and arrangementof details of my de- (Iopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

guides and two vice may be" resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention orsacrificing anyof its advantages.

What I claim is: i In a corn cutter, the combination with a supporting frame, provided with forwardly extending divergent guides, of a rotary diskcutter, disposed horlzontally to project into a the space between the rear ends of said secured upon the upperv side of the rear portions of said guides, the confronting edges of said plates diverging to constitute continuations of said guides, one of said plates being secured to the frame over said cutter, and the other having a channel. on its inner side within which sai'd rotary cutter vprojects.

In witness myname this 7th whereof, I hereunto subscribe day ofAugust A. D. 1913.

, FRANK FOURNIER.

Witnesses:

F. 0.. MATHENY, A. HAsKINs.

Washington, D. G. t a v horizontally-disposed plates 

